2007 NAB AFL Draft Camp The players' view
3:44 PM Fri 5 October, 2007
By Matt Burgan
afl.com.au
WE ASK for some of the thoughts from this year's NAB AFL Draft Camp class about how they found the testing and analysis on day two of the three-day event at the AIS in Canberra.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
TAIS APPRAISAL
(Questionnaire with Dr Noel Blundell)
Andy Otten Oakleigh Chargers, VIC
"We had 150 questions to answer and they ranged from: 'What would your friends say about you' to 'how would you test yourself'
and you had to rate yourself.
Some of the questions were a bit weird and out there, but it was pretty straight-forward.
They weren't all related to footy and they were about your personal life. There were questions like: 'Do you get angry' or 'would you lead in an emergency'
those types of questions.
It lasted around 45 minutes. Some of the questions you had to stop and think, but it wasn't too hard.
FITNESS ASSESSMENTS
(Sprints, agility and vertical jump)
Scott Selwood Bendigo Pioneers, VIC
My vertical jump was a little disappointing. I didn't do a great jump. The agility and sprint tests were pretty good, so I was pretty happy with them.
For the 20-metre sprint it was 3.02 seconds and for the agility it was 8.32 seconds, so they're not too bad and they're around the mark, so I'm pretty happy.
Hopefully I can get them down a bit better. The agility test is probably my favourite one."
TRANSITION TO AFL
(Panel including Kevin Sheehan (AFL), Steve Alessio (AFLPA), Tyson Goldsack (Collingwood), Daniel Connors (Richmond))
Guy O'Keefe Geelong Falcons, VIC
We had [Richmond's] Daniel Connors and [Collingwood's] Tyson Goldsack come and speak to us and it was fantastic to get their insight into an AFL club.
A few boys asked some questions, so it was good to find out some things because it's important for us to know what to expect.
It's also good to hear from recent players, as they are the ones who have been through it all.
FITNESS ASSESSMENTS
(Height, weight, skinfolds, arm length and handspan)
David Myers Perth, WA
"We had our skinfolds and height and weight measured. The had a look at our physical make-up and how tall and wide we were and in the skinfolds we found out how fat we were and how much [weight] we had to lose."
MEDIA PROGRAM
(Selected players speak to several media outlets)
Darcy Daniher Calder Cannons, VIC
There has been a bit of publicity because of my surname, but that's all it is.
I've done a bit of media I've done more media than I have with clubs. I've done afl.com.au, radio and a few TV interviews. I just take it as it comes and it's nothing too serious.
PSYCHOMOTOR TESTS
(Reaction time, decision-making, peripheral awareness overseen by Dr Noel Blundell)
Sam Reid Zillmere, QLD
One of the tests involved pushing the buttons when the lights came up. We had a competition with a few of the guys and I managed to win the peripheral vision test.
FITNESS ASSESSMENT
(Shuttle run conducted by Dr David Pyne)
Cale Morton Claremont, WA
I'm a bit buggered at the moment [after running a Draft Camp best level 15 shuttle two 15.2], but I'm glad I've got the beep test out of the way and now I've got the three-kilometre time trial on Friday, which I'm looking forward to.
I got 15.4 [earlier this week, but I've had a sore throat since Tuesday morning, so I was a bit put off, but I managed to get through it.
I enjoyed the fitness and the running and I'm looking forward to getting my body up for the three-kilometre time-trial."
AFL CLUB INFORMAL INTERVIEWS
(With AFL recruiting managers and other key staff in 16 AFL club rooms)
Ashley Arrowsmith Calder Cannons, VIC
It's been a bit daunting. Some of them have been good, but some have asked some curly questions and you try to answer it the best you can.
INDIVIDUAL PLAYER TAPED INTERVIEWS
(With AFL talent coordinator Craig Notman)
Ben McEvoy Murray Bushrangers, VIC
The taped interview was fine. It's the same sort of questions as the club interviews.
You've got to talk about yourself and you obviously know yourself so it's pretty easy and that was no worries. There were some similar questions to the clubs.
http://www.afl.com.au/Season2007/News/NewsArticle/tabid/208/Default.aspx?newsId=52191
